On the evening of 6/9, at Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho, Vietnam entered the match with a determination to win. According to coach Ikeuchi, the game initially unfolded ideally when captain Nguyen Quoc Khanh capitalized on a rare opportunity in the 40th minute to open the scoring. However, the host team of group C could not contain Iran's strength in the second half, making defensive errors that led to two penalty kicks and a 1-3 defeat.

Vietnam concluded the qualifiers at the bottom of the group, suffering three consecutive losses to North Korea, Palestine, and Iran. Not only did the team fail to qualify for the finals, but it was also relegated and will have to compete in the development round of the 2029 tournament against lower-tier football nations in Asia.

Coach Yutaka Ikeuchi at the press conference after the 1-3 loss to Iran in the third match of group C of the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho on 6/8/2026. Photo: VFF

"Relegation is regrettable. We wanted to avoid that outcome and entered the match against Iran with a determination to prevent it," coach Ikeuchi said. "But sometimes things are beyond control, and we could not achieve our goal."

This marks the second setback for the Japanese tactician with the U20 Vietnam squad. Previously, in june, he and his players were eliminated in the group stage of the 2026 AFF U19 Championship.

In this tournament, coach Ikeuchi did not have his strongest squad. According to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), during the two training camps before the tournament, the national team could not call up many desired players because clubs were unwilling to release them. This was due to the tournament taking place just before the start of the 2026-2027 V-League season. For example, SLNA club only allowed three players to join the national team out of 6 initially called up. Midfielder Nguyen Le Phat, one of the team's key players, only participated in the opening match loss to North Korea before having to return to Ninh Binh club.

Striker Tran Gia Bao also expressed regret about this year's AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifying campaign. He stated that the entire team worked tirelessly and diligently, making efforts to analyze opponents, but still had many shortcomings and weaknesses to overcome.

"On behalf of the team, I apologize to the fans and to the subsequent U20 Vietnam generations for not completing our mission," Gia Bao shared. "This failure will help us learn and strive harder to become better players in the future. I hope fans will continue to support Vietnamese football, through both victories and defeats."

Striker Tran Gia Bao (12) plays in the 1-3 loss to Iran in the third match of group C of the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho on 6/8/2026. Photo: VFF

Meanwhile, coach Ghasem Haddadifar of Iran described group C as a "group of death", bringing together four excellent teams. He noted that Vietnam possesses a fast-paced, skillful playing style, with well-organized formations and movements. "Vietnam played very well. We believe they could have changed the course of the match if they had effectively controlled long balls," coach Ghasem said. "However, Iran organized its defense well, with our defenders covering tightly."

Iran secured a spot in the finals as the second-place team in group C. North Korea topped the group with three consecutive wins.

Hieu Luong